This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
With online donations pouring in to offset the medical bills for the family of freestyle skier Sarah Burke, organizations associated with the action sports star, who died Thursday at University Hospital, are keeping quiet on the details of the bills and insurance.
By mid-afternoon Friday, more than $185,000 had been raised to help Burke's family pay hospital bills.
The skier spent nine days in the hospital after falling during a training session in Park City and sustaining critical head injuries.
The website — http://www.giveforward.com/sarahburke — lists as a goal $550,000, but a University Hospital spokesman said that the amount the family faced in bills had been inaccurately reported.
Burke, 29, was executing a trick in the superpipe at Park City when she crashed on Jan. 10.
A member of the Canadian Freestyle Ski Association team and considered a top medal contender in the sports Olympic debut in 2014, Burke was at the forefront of her sport.
The Vancouver Sun reported Friday afternoon that the ski association insures its athletes when competing in its training and competition programs, such as World Cups, X Games and the Dew Tour, but it did not apply to Burke's situation because she was competing in a private event sponsored by Monster Energy Drink.